M. Soccer: State final rematch comes down to final minute

Bryan Ortega was named 1st Team All-American
Bryan Ortega was named 1st Team All-American

In a rematch of the 2018 CCCAA State Championship game, the Cerritos College men's soccer team scored a goal in the final minute to post a 1-0 win over host Golden West College on Friday. In a heated battle that has gotten more intense with each meeting, the Falcons (4-0-1) were able to prevail in the 89th minute. The outcome was reminiscent of last year's state championship game, when Cerritos broke a 1-1 tie with a penalty kick goal in the 89th minute.

On Friday, sophomore Bryan Ortega (Paramount HS) was the hero, as his goal propelled the Falcons to the win and kept them unbeaten on the season. Cerritos is now 26-0-3 in their last 29 games. Freshman Brandon Montoya (Leuzinger HS) was able to feed the ball to Ortega, who scored his third goal of the season.

The Falcons wouldn't have been in position to win the game had it not been for the outstanding goalkeeping from freshman Jose Azpeitia (Valencia HS), who made a career-high 10 saves on the day. He kept the game scoreless in the first half with seven saves and earned his first win of the season. Assisting Azpeitia in the back row were sophomore defenders Ernie Cueva (Bassett HS), David Lermas (Paramount HS), Eugene Martinez (Delille Academy, Belize) and Jorge Cardona (Connections Academy HS).

Cerritos will host Oxnard College at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday.